*[http://aries.jmrl.org/search/t?fall+of+giants '''Fall of Giants'''], by Ken Follett - a saga of five families from all walks of life set against the drama of World War I

*[http://aries.jmrl.org/search/t?fall+of+giants '''Fall of Giants'''], by Ken Follett - a saga of five families from all walks of life set against the drama of World War I

*[http://aries.jmrl.org/search/t?go+between '''The Go-Between'''], by L. P. Hartley - a summer on a great estate before-the-wars, containing a tragic love story, is remembered

*[http://aries.jmrl.org/search/t?go+between '''The Go-Between'''], by L. P. Hartley - a summer on a great estate before-the-wars, containing a tragic love story, is remembered

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*[http://aries.jmrl.org/search/t?habits+of+the+house '''Habits of the House'''], by Fay Weldon - from one fo the original writers of the "Upstairs, Downstairs" series comes this depiction of a household - family and staff - on Belgrave Square in London during the season of 1899. The Earl is facing financial concerns and an heiress arrives from Chicago in this first part of a trilogy.

+

*[http://aries.jmrl.org/search/t?habits+of+the+house '''Habits of the House'''], by Fay Weldon - from one of the original writers of the "Upstairs, Downstairs" series comes this depiction of a household - family and staff - on Belgrave Square in London during the season of 1899. The Earl is facing financial concerns and an heiress arrives from Chicago in this first part of a trilogy.

*[http://aries.jmrl.org/search/t?house+at+riverton '''The House at Riverton'''], by Kate Morton - intrigue and romance on the grounds of a country house in the early 1920s

*[http://aries.jmrl.org/search/t?house+at+riverton '''The House at Riverton'''], by Kate Morton - intrigue and romance on the grounds of a country house in the early 1920s

*[http://aries.jmrl.org/search/t?house+at+tyneford '''The House at Tyneford'''], by Natasha Solomons - a young Jewish woman is forced to leave 1938 Vienna and become a parlor maid at a great house in England. In a changing world, a relationship begins with the son of the house.

*[http://aries.jmrl.org/search/t?house+at+tyneford '''The House at Tyneford'''], by Natasha Solomons - a young Jewish woman is forced to leave 1938 Vienna and become a parlor maid at a great house in England. In a changing world, a relationship begins with the son of the house.

Revision as of 15:54, 4 February 2013

If you’ve been enthralled by the miniseries “Downton Abbey” and don’t want to leave that world just yet, expand your experience with some of these titles.
Article in Themes and Read-Alikes category.

The World of Downton Abbey, by Jessica Fellowes - the official companion book to the series; explores characters and history of the series to take you deeper into Downton’s world.

The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, by Jessica Fellowes & Matthew Sturgis - including scenes and characters from season 3, the NEW official companion to the series is this updated title.

Contents

DVDs to watch

Downton Abbey - catch up or relive your favorite episodes of the first two seasons.

Berkeley Square - follows three nannies in turn-of-the-century London; one of the families is headed by an Earl and his American wife.

Duchess of Duke Street - serves up Edwardian menus, a rags-to-riches tale, and an unforgettable character in Louisa Trotter, based on the real-life Rosa Lewis, hotelier and chef to high society London in the years before the Great War.

Gosford Park - screenplay by "Downton Abbey"’s Julian Fellowes - shows both above- and below-stairs schemes and intrigue during a weekend hunting party on an estate.

Upstairs, Downstairs - the 1971-1975 series about the Bellamy household in London; dramatic events in the lives of servants and aristocratic family members in context of historical events 1903-1930.

Manor House (on VHS only) - a BBC reality-television series designed to show what life was like for the household of a 1905-1914 country house.

House of Eliott (on VHS only) - a BBC series from the creators of “Upstairs Downstairs” about two sisters in dire straits, who open a fashion house in London between the wars, creating costumes for the aristocracy and challenging views that women could not live independently.

Fiction

The American Heiress, by Daisy Goodwin -the story of the daughter of wealthy Americans (her name is even Cora) who marries the eligible Duke of Wareham at the turn of the 20th century

The Crimson Rooms, by Katherine McMahon - love and mystery surrounding characters in 1920s London, still reeling from the effects of the Great War

The Dressmaker, by Kate Alcott - a seamstress finds herself on the Titanic voyage, embroiled with two men of different status, she survives the sinking but does not escape the repercussions

Fall of Giants, by Ken Follett - a saga of five families from all walks of life set against the drama of World War I

The Go-Between, by L. P. Hartley - a summer on a great estate before-the-wars, containing a tragic love story, is remembered

Habits of the House, by Fay Weldon - from one of the original writers of the "Upstairs, Downstairs" series comes this depiction of a household - family and staff - on Belgrave Square in London during the season of 1899. The Earl is facing financial concerns and an heiress arrives from Chicago in this first part of a trilogy.

The House at Riverton, by Kate Morton - intrigue and romance on the grounds of a country house in the early 1920s

The House at Tyneford, by Natasha Solomons - a young Jewish woman is forced to leave 1938 Vienna and become a parlor maid at a great house in England. In a changing world, a relationship begins with the son of the house.

Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro - though this novel is concerned with staff of a great house during World War II, a little later than our setting in Downton Abbey, you can see echoes of Carson in the main character Stevens, a butler with a fierce dignity and dedication to his profession in the face of changing times

The Shooting Party, by Isabel Colegate - a witty and moving portrayal of the upper class in 1913 at a weekend shooting party on the estate of an earl

Books by Julian Fellowes who wrote the screenplay for "Downton Abbey" - these titles do not take place in the same time period as Downton, but have similar fun with the attitudes and mores of upper classes. Try Snobs or Past Imperfect.

Memoirs or Portraits from Above or Below Stairs

The Bolter, by Frances Osborne - tells the story of Idina Sackville, who went from high society to a wild bohemian life when she ran off to Africa.

Rich Yankees

Don’t forget those rich Americans - like Cora - who married into the British aristocracy. “I’ll give you my family’s money to help your floundering estate; you give me your title to lend my nouveau-riche family some class.” Get all the juicy details about how these arrangements worked out.

The Great War and its Effects

Downton Abbey serves as a war hospital and the lives of all its inhabitants are touched in many ways by World War I. Read the following for an understanding of just how far-reaching the war’s effects were on British (and others) lives.

All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque - the epitome of a World War I novel, shows that life in the trenches was brutal for both sides.

Regeneration, by Pat Barker - based on the real experiences of Seigfried Sassoon, this novel details a military psychiatric hospital and the lives of its shell-shocked soldiers. Try also his novel Life Class.

Three Soldiers, by John Dos Passos - shows the toll of the war on three American soldiers.

Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo - this pacifist National Book Award winner from 1939 tells the story of a severely-wounded soldier’s recovery.

Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf - while the title character shows us the life of society between the wars, the character of Septimus Smith shows us the tragic plight of a shell-shocked veteran.

Mysteries with this Setting

The Uninvited Guests, by Sadie Jones - At a 1912 country house, a family struggles with class issues and ghosts

Weekend at Blenheim, by J. P. Morrissey - a gothic mystery with lots of intrigue set at a weekend party in 1905 at Blenheim Castle, peopled with historical figures like Consuelo vanderbilt, John Singer Sargent.

The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton, by Elizabeth Speller - After the Great War, at a manor house: a young girl went missing thirteen years ago and now a young maid disappears. Lots of details, secrets, and layered relationships.